Refrigerating apparatus



Much 8, 1949 o.. v. sAuNDERs 2,463,999

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 1, 194s 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. 3y 4 Y v 'BY eJ'a/v. -54wvofmn Mya-MY ma REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 8,1949

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Orson V. Saunders, Dayton, Ohio, assigner to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a

corporation of Delaware Application February 1, 1946, Serial No. 644,901

-cabinet.

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to refrigeration and particularly to refrigerator cabinets and appur tenances thereof.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved refriserator cabinet.

Another object oi' my invention is to associate means in the form of a single unit or a unitary device with a refrigerator cabinet which device or unit will force the door leading to the food storage compartment of the cabinet into open position when the door latch is released and which will also cause energlzation of an electrical element employed to illuminate the interior of the food compartment.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in the foregoing .object wherein the means of the unit or device for causing energizatlon of the electrical element is rendered eifective and ineffective by movement of the means of the unit or device which (Cl. 24o-4) force the food compartment door into open position.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet having my invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the refrigerator cabinet and is taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the unitary device in elevation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the cabinet showing a front view of the unitary device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and showing the device in` one position of its movement;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and shows the device in another of its positions of movement;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the device; and

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the device taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating my invention, I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof a conventional household refrigerator comprising a cabinet I0 having inner and outer metal walls I I and I2 respectively (see Fig. 2) with insulation I4 interposed therebetween to provide an insulated food storage compartment I5 within the The interior ofcompartment I5 may be cooled by an evaporator I6 of any suitable or shown).

opening therein to provide access to the food storage compartment. The inner and outer metal walls Il and I2 of the cabinet are separated and spaced from one another about the compartment access opening by a breaker strip I8 (see Fig. 2) of insulating material and secured in place in any desired or conventional manner. The food compartment access opening is closed by a door 20 of any suitable construction and comprising inner and outer door pans 2| and 22 respectively, insulation 23 between pans 2l and 22, a seal element 24 which engages the front Wall of cabinet I0 to prevent the entrance of air into vcompartment I5 or the exit of cold air therefrom, and a heavy metal bumper or striker piece 26, the purpose of which will be presently described. Door 20 is pivotally mounted upon the cabinet I0 for horizontal swinging movement by a pair of hinges 28 as is conventional in the art. The door 20 is normally held in closed position by any suitable or conventional releasable latching mechanism (not shown) having a releasing handle or tripping button 29 projecting from the door on one side thereof. In the use of Va releasable latch mechanism on a refrigerator cabinet it is desirable to provide some means of forcing the door open without necessity of the operator handling the same to more readily andquickly effect access to the food storage compartment. My invention is directed to such a means but is specifically directed to this means 'in the form of a unitary device which also contains means for causing an electrical element to be energized for illuminating the interior of the foodcompartment when the door is opened. For this reason the refrigerator disclosed also includes an electrical element or light bulb 3I mounted in the food compartment I5 and diagrammatically` shown in Fig. 1. The bulb or electrical illuminating element 3I is connected in a power circuit with the device of the present invention. This power circuit includes wires 32, 33 and 34. The unitary device or single unit of the present invention is generally represented by the reference character 40. This unit 40 comprises a plurality of elements held in association with one another and enclosed in two metal members 4I and 42. Member 4I has its peripheral part rolled over upon member 42 as at 43 to lock the plurality of assembled elements of the unit 40 together. Outwardly directed flanges on the members 4I and 42 have holes 44 therein for the reception of bolts 46 which lock or secure unit 40 to the breaker strip I8 on cabinet Ill. An insulated disk 4'I located within the device 4D provides a backing for a large cone-shaped spring 48 constructed of sheet metal material. When compressed spring 48 has sufficient energy stored therein to overcome the weight of door 28 and to cause movement thereof. The spring 48 is secured in place by rolling over the edge part 49 of member 4I to engage the base of the spring. A metal button 5I is secured to the crown part of spring 48 by rolling over legs provided on the button as at 52. The cup part ci member 42 has its edge rolled over as at 53 against a plug of insulating material 54 which abuts against the backing disk 41. Plug 54 houses two substantially U-shaped metal contact elements 56 and 51 which 'have their inner legs clamped against the disk 4l to maintain them in their mounting slots 58 and 59 (see Fig. '1). Wires 33 and 34 are secured in any suitable manner to the outer legs of the U-shaped contact elements 5t and 51. The disk 41 is provided with a hole centrally thereof through which a bushing 6i of insulating material extends. The bushing 6i is mounted on a metal stud 62. One end of stud t2 is riveted over a washer 63 of insulating material and this washer 63 holds one or more metal washers 6d and d5 upon the bushing 6| in insulated relation to 'the stud 62. Washer 64 ls adapted to engage and bridge the inner legs of the U-shaped contact pieces 56 and 51. This washer and the contact pieces form an electric switch within the device 49. The other end of stud 62 carries a metal washer 51 which is mounted thereon by a shaped washer 68 fitting in a groove provided on the stud. A second cone-shaped spring 69 constructed of round wire material is interposed between the washer 61 and disk 411. @bviously the spring 48 and spring 68 are normally in the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings and are adapted to be compressed as shown in Fig. i of the drawing when the door kicker unit 4d is mounted on a refrigerator cabinet and the button 5i thereof is depressed by the door of the refrigerator cabinet being in closed position.

The construction of the unitary or combined door kicker and electric switch device 49 having been described its purpose and operation will now be set forth. When the unitary device 40 is assembled in position on the cabinet I as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, with the door 20 in closed position the bumper or striker piece 26 engages the button i of device 4U to maintain the elements of the device in the position illustrated in Fig. 4. In this position of device 40 the spring 4Q is compressed and a part of its smaller coils en.-V gage the washer 61 to move all the elements carried upon stud 62 inwardly whereby spring 69 is compressed and washer 64, forming with contacts 56 and 51 the electric switch, is moved out of en-y gagement with the contacts 56 and 51. The electric circuit through the wires 33 and 34 leading to the bulb 3| is opened and this bulb is deenergized when the door is closed by the door latching mechanism. Latching of the door 29 in closed position compresses the large spring 48 and ren-p ders it effective to apply force to the door for causing the door to swing open when the latch, mechanism is released by the releasing handle or tripping button 29. When the door latching mechanism is released the force of spring 48 acti ing through the button 5l upon the bumper or striker 26 pushes the door 20, about its pivotal mounting or hinges 28, into open position. This movement of the door 20 causes the elements of device 40 to move into the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings wherein the spring 69 has been rendered effective, by the door movement of spring 45. to move the washer 64 into bridging engagement with contacts 58 and 51 for completing the circuit through wires 33 and 34 to the bulb 3l to cause illumination of the interior oi.' compartment I5 when the door 20 is opened. Upon closing the door 20 bumper or striker 25 engages the button 5I of device 40 and causes the parts of the device to again move into the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings wherein the electric switch is opened and the bulb 3l is deenergized.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a single means or a unitary device for vforcing the refrigerator cabinet door open for causing energization of an illuminating means within the cabinet when the door latching mechanism is released. In my improved device the eiectric switch part thereof is dependent upon movement of the door pusher or kicker part thereof and therefore the ineflectiveness of the door pusher or kicker part of the device renders the switch part eiective.

le the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form'. it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

i. In combination, a refrigerator cabinet having walls dening a food storage compartment, one wall of said compartment having an opening therein providing access thereto, a door for said compartment access opening, a latch for normally maintaining said door in closed position, electrical means adapted to be energized by movement of said door, a unitary device comprising a strong spring acting on a part of said device engaging and tending to force said door into open position, a switch for controlling said electrical means, and a relatively weak spring associated with and adapted to close said switch upon movement of said strong spring to open said door, said device being rendered effective upon release of said latch.

2. In combination, a refrigerator cabinet having walls deiining a food storage compartment.

one wall of said compartment having an opening therein providing access thereto, a door for said compartment access opening, a latch associated with one side of said door for normally maintaining the door in closed position, electrical means adapted to be energized by movement of said door for illuminating the interior of said compartment, a unitary device comprising a strong extendable spring acting on a part of said device engaging said door cna side opposite saidlone side thereof and tending to force said door into open position, a switch for controlling said electrical means, and a relatively weak spring associated with and adapted to close said switch upon extension of said strong spring to open said door, said device being rendered effective upon release of said latch.

. i ORSON V. SAUNDERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 942,963 Hamm et al. Dec. 14, 1909 2,152,486 Knight 28, 1939 2,206,102' Meuer July 2, 1940 

